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(No Model.) I

J. J. THORNTON & P. HUBBARD.

Boso BOARD. No. 352,790. Patented Nov. 16, 1886.

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UNITED STATES PATENT "Orrrcnl JOHN J. THORNTON AND PETER HUBBARD, OFGREENSBOROUGH, N. 'O.,

' ASSIGNORS OF ONE-THIRD-TO EDWARD W. LYON, OF SAME PLACE.

BOSOM-BOARD.

SPECIFICATlQN forming part of Letters Patent No.'352,790, datedNovember16, 1886.

Application filed May 15, 1885. Serial No.165,5fi3. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that we, JOHN J 2 THORNTON and PETER HUBBARD, ofGreensborough, in the county of Gnilford and State of North Carolina,have invented a new and useful Improve ment in Bosom-Boards; and we dohereby de clare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionthereof.

Our invention relates to bosom-boards employed for stretching andholding the bosoms of shirts during ironing, its object being to providea simple and cheap construction ofbosomboard for this purpose.

It consists, essentially, in combining with the bosom-board asurrounding frame formed of side and end bars,connected at the cornersby sliding joints capable of sidewise or endwise movement and conformingto the shape of the bosomboard, this frame being provided with suitablespring apparatus to press it against the bosom-board, and so beingadapted to yield to any extent necessary either in its length or width,so that it will accommodate.

itself to and stretch the bosom of the shirt placed onthe'bosom-board asthe frame is pressed down over the board.

It also consists in forming the spring apparatus of an elastic bandfitting within a groove in'the edge of the frame, thereby giving a verysimple and effective means for compressing the frame upon thebosom-board.

It also consists in forming the bosom-board with bulged side portions,and forming like sliding joints in the side bars of the frame, to allowof the movement of the frame corresponding thereto.

It also consists in certain details of construction, as hereinafter setforth.

To enable others skilled in the art'to make and use our invention, wewill describe the same more fully, referring to the accompanyingdrawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view,partly broken away, ofthe frame of our improved bosomboard. Fig. 2 is a top view, partlybroken away, illustrating the stretching of the shirtbosom on the board.Fig. 3is a cross-section on the line 0600, Fig. 2. Fig. tis a top view,partly broken away, showing a modification of our invention.

The bosom-board a is made of wood, and

material, the board having either straight sides, as shown in Fig. 4, orbulged sides, as

shown at b, Fig. 2, the advantage of the bulged frame being that itenables the frame when placed over the bosom-board to stretch the bodyof the shirt in a slightly-diagonal direction, and so cause the moreeven stretching of the shirt-bosom on the board.

The'frame c is formed of the side pieces or bars,d, and the end piecesor bars,e, these bars being connected,as shown,by sliding joints F,capable of movement,th us forming whatI term loose or flexible joints,which allow the movement of the frame, so that it can be stretchedeither in the direction of its length or its width to any extentnecessary in placing it over the bosom-board, the movement of each barbeing independent of any of the other bars, and depending only on thethickness of material between it and the bosomboard. At the corners inthe frame shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the loose joint is formed by thetonguef fitting into the groove 9, and held therein by means of the pinor pintle h,

which passes through an enlarged hole in the tongue f, the purpose ofthis pintle being simply to hold the frame together when the elasticband 12 extending around the frame, is

removed, but allow of the free sliding movement of the parts of thejoint in any direction; and the bars of the frame move independentlythereof, as where the frame is surrounded by the elastic band i, formingthe compressingspring of the frame, such pintle is not necessary.Extending around the outer endof tho frame is the groove 1, in which theelastic band fits, this elastic band thus holding the frame together,and when the frame is placed over the bosom-board c compressing theframe in all directions against the edge faces .of said board. When theboard a has the bulged portions 5 thereon, we generally provide theframe with loose joints in the side bars, d, these. loose joints isbeing of substantially the form as described as to the joints F, exceptthat the pintleis not employed, and when these loose joints is in theside bars are employed the frame will spread to any extent necessary inthe direction of its length and in the direction of its width, onaccount of the loose joints at the corners,

while at the same time it will spread or give between the ends ofthe'side bars to accommodate itself to the bosonrboard and the shirtstretched thereon.

Where the sides of the bosom-board are straight, as shown in Fig. 4, theconstruction of the frame is much more simple, simple tongne-aud-groovejoints F being employed at the corners of the frame without any pintle,and the board having the groove 1 to receive the elastic band or spring11, the necessity for the formation of a loose joint within the sidebars, (I, being overcome. v

In order to give the inner edge of the frame a hold upon the fabric ofthe shirt, we secure to the under surface of the frame a rubber or likestrap forming a cushion, m, this cushioning-strip extending inwardlyfrom the inner edges of the frame in such position that when the frameis pressed down over the bosomboard this cushioning-strip will be bentup between the inner edge of the frame and the body of the shirt placedover the bosom-board, and the cushion will hold to the fabric of theshirt and have a tendency to draw it down with it, thus causing a moreperfect stretching of the shirt-body over the upper face of the frame.This cushion may be formed in sections and secured to different parts orbars of the frame. At the inner corners of the frame the body thereof iscut away or recessed, as shown at n, the purpose of this recess being toprevent the frame from grasping the fabric of the shirt and drawing itinto the loose joints of the frame, in case a portion of the body of theshirt should be collected at the corners of the board, these recesses nforming free space for the entrance of any such gathered portion of theshirt-bod y.

\Vhen our improved boso1n-board is in use, the bosom-board is placedwithin the shirt andtheshirt-bosom brought in proper position on theupper face of the bosom-board, and the frame is then pressed down overthe shirt on the bosom-board, and as it is pressed down it draws thefabric of the shirt with it. As the bars of the frame can yield both inthe direction of its width and length, each bar yielding independentlyof the others, according to the thickness of the shirt-body between itand the bosom-board,it is evident that the frame will accommodate itselfto the bosom-board and the shirt-body and stretch the shirt perfectlyover the board.

In case the bosom-board'is bulged, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the springand the strain upon the shirt will be in a slightly-diagonal directionfrom the center of the board, and theloose joints k in the side bar willallow the side bars to accommodate themselves to the bulged form of theboard. The cushioning-strips m will be bent up between the inner edgesof the frame and the shirt-body stretched over the board and will holdto the fabric of the shirt, thus insuring the more perfect stretchingthereof.

The frame is much thinner than the boson1- board, as is fullyshown inFig. 3, and when the frame is pressed down onto the table on which thebosom-board rests the upper face of the bosom-board and the shirtstretched thereon extend above the frame, so that it interferes in noway with the ironing of the shirt.

The bosom-board is exceedingly simple in construction and cheap, as theparts can be rapidly made by machinery, and the neat fitting of theparts is not required. The frame is also strong and durable, as it ismade heavy and in case the elastic band or other parts thereof shouldbreak they can be replaced with but little trouble.

What we claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is

1. The combination, with the bosom-board, of the frame conforming inshape thereto and formed of side and end bars connected at the cornersby tongue-and-groove joints having a sliding movement in any direction,and suit able spring apparatus to press the frame against the board,substantially as and for'the purposes set forth.

2. The combination, with the bosom-board, of the frame conforming inshape thereto and formed of side and end bars connected at the cornersby tongue-aud-groove joints having a sliding movement-in anydirection,and having a groove extending around their outer faces, andthe elastic band fitting within said groove, substantially as and forthe purposes set forth. 3. In combination with the bosom-boardhaving thebulged portions b, the frame formed of 1 30 Witnesses:

E. It. FISHBLATE, C. F. THoMPsoN.

